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Squidoo, Facebook and Myspace Widgets 2.0

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All About Widget 2.0

What is Widget 2.0? Learn the basics of Web Widgets.

Contents at a Glance

Widget 2.0: Preface
This is a StickyNote WIDGET
Widget 1.0: What was it?
Widget 2.0: Who cares?
What is a widget?

from the Widget-Authority

This may be the first time you have ever heard of Widget 2.0. If it is, you are not alone.

Widget 2.0 is a term I coined from the buzzword Web 2.0 and the recent buzz about tiny snippets of code that can be dropped on any website called Widgets.

Web 2.0 proves we are no longer living in an Internet world of closure and limits. And Widgets are founded on a collaboration of efforts to design free and open source software that encourages cross-website synergy.

Therefore, Widget 2.0 uses the Internet as a platform to propagate an enriching experience across multiple websites for the Internet community as a whole. It is a radical new distribution model fundamentally changing the way content is disseminated on the Web.

addthis.com Widget

This is a StickyNote WIDGET

TO DO LIST:

1. Create a squidoo lens
2. Add GREAT widget content
3. Make a video about Widget 2.0
4. Add more content
5. Show sample widgets
6. Create a Cafe Press store widget
7. Create an Amazon store widget
8. Link to really cool widgets
9. ADD MORE CONTENT!
10. Publish This Lens

“Thanks for voting this lens to be #1 within the SMARTS Internet Marketing Community!”

Widget 1.0: What was it?

An example of Widget 1.0 would have been something like an animated clock that told the time of day.

The programming script would have been deployed on one web site. That same code would not be available across multiple web sites. Therefore, the same content could not be seen on sites like blogger and myspace simultaneously.

Widget 2.0: Who cares?

Maybe the question should be, why should I care? According to ComScore's recent Web Widget Metrix, 81% of the United States Internet audience viewed a widget. That's equivalent to around 147 million people. Talk about traffic!

Widgets used on MySpace and Facebook have been viewed by 57 million and 20 million times respectively. If you have a Myspace or Facebook page, you should care that widgets can not only enhance your user's experience but generate traffic and make you money.

What is a widget?

A simple explanation

In the manufacturing world, a widget is a gadget or a small manufactured item. On the Internet, a widget is defined as a mini Internet application you can put on your personal web page, social networking page, blog or just about anywhere that accepts embedded programming script. It is offered and hosted by a 3rd party web site. It is used to enrich a user's experience through a functional mechanism that displays images, content, ads, traffic counts, and much more. An example of widget 2.0 would be where you, or your friend, or your web page visitor watches a video on your personal web page. Through the process, the user did not have to visit the actual site to watch the video. This same video could also be watched from multiple websites simultaneously.

In Search of the Meaning of Widget 2.0

My home made video for this squidoo lens

You have to watch this video made just for a contest for this lens. Fresh stuff. The premise is a man who is a self proclaimed "buzzword master" on a quest to learn about widget 2.o.

This video was fun but also eye opening to the real world. I don't understand how the Jamie Kennedy Experiment gets the live shots they produce. I had just purchased a video camera and was in the food court at the galleria mall just testing the camera and we were told by a security guard that we had to turn off the camera and delete whatever test capture we had. Then at the grocery store, we were told to leave. The donut man assured me we were being watched on security cameras. And Borders, well, they were truly open source and didn't say anything. It's a tough road to get shots inside any type of retail store.

Just sit back, relax, watch the movie and laugh. Oh, and there is a blooper reel at the end. Enjoy! Oh, by the way, AJAX is a programming language used to create widgets.

In Search of the Meaning of Widget 2.0: by musicWhisper | video info

0 ratings | 377 views

curated content from YouTube

Widget 2.0 for Dummies

Just the basics

The core of a widget is a piece of software placed into a blog or MySpace page. Although widgets are not new, they are just now gaining popularity.

If you have ever witnessed a movie trailer in someone's blog then you have just viewed a widget. Another example would be a slideshow widget that lets you show your personal pictures through a small window on your personal web page. Another example would be a sports scoreboard that displays the current scores of sports teams on your web page.

Web page owners therefore enrich a users experience through content publishing. Control therefore moves from the publishing company to the user community at large.

Widget 2.0 for Internet Marketing

Tools for Internet Marketers

The demand for Internet Marketing widget tools is white hot right now and resources invested here today will be richly rewarded later. An Internet Marketing widget is used as a tool that allows content to be distributed to a potentially large number of websites. Because consumers pick and choose which widgets they want to upload to their personal site, profile page, or blog, they become advocates for the marketer whose content and widgets they help distribute.

Internet Marketers can use widgets to push their topic of interest and help move content through social media with thoroughness and niche specificity. Internet Marketers can now move through viral hubs with acceptance as they are brought into conversations they might not otherwise have access to.

It takes a pro-active approach on the part of the Marketers if they want to continue to connect with their customers.

Widget 2.0 Fear Factor

The golden egg for first movers

Competition among companies jockeying to get a position on widget branding and use intensifies as their own site becomes less and less important. The fear factor means that as a result of this new content distribution model, companies must worry about more than just their web page.

Getting content on other web pages becomes the marketing objective which now challenges the whole SEO mindset. Companies have to start looking at the Web as a platform as a whole. A community where everybody is connected.

Fun Stuff

Widget 2.0 promotional

Watch This Cool Widget 2.0 Smiley Animation

Widget 2.0 Design and Development

Ajax, javascript, flash and more

The design and development of widgets change the basic architecture of the Web. Programmers can develop a widget using any number of programming languages or platforms. The most popular being Macromedia Flash, AJAX, and JavaScript.

When developing a widget, remember to keep the user as the center focus of your design. You want a widget that is desirable enough to be considered a reward to the user and in so doing, your content will be widely distributed around the Web. Their are sites like Yahoo Widgets and Widgetbox that provide a means for anyone looking to develop their own widget.

Widget 2.0 TOS Violations

Myspace Widget Restrictions

There are considerations as to the type of widget that can be allowed on certain web sites like MySpace and Facebook. If a widget violates the terms of service set forth by MySpace for instance, MySpacee will block the widget.

According to MySpace, "Breaches would include any person, widget or software that violates copyright, poses security risks, distributes pornography or engages in commercial activity. Commercial activity includes selling ads on a MySpace page through their widget or software." Third party providers must develop widgets to be user content focused and not a means to sell ads on the web site.

Widget 2.0 Geek Speak

A W3C technical description

According to W3C documentation, Widgets are a class of client-side web application for displaying and/or updating local or remote data, packaged in a way to allow a single download and installation on a client machine or device.

Widget 2.0 Must Have Widgets

Some great widget sites

Bookmark This Widget: AddThis spreads your content across the Web by making it easier for your visitors to bookmark and share it with other people, again and again and again. Simple yet powerful widget is very easy to install and provides valuable statistics about the bookmarking and sharing activity of your users. AddThis is the perfect tool to help your visitors create a buzz for your site and increase its popularity and ranking.
M.O.B. Widget (Massive Online Buying): An eSellStuff.com M.O.B. Widget is used to communicate the status of an item for sale anywhere, anytime on the Internet and it includes inventory control and expiration of the offer control to the seller.
Snap Shots: Snap Shots is the world's most popular way to give your users a more fun and interactive experience on your site or blog. Now with Snap Shares, you can monetize inventory you didn't know you had. It's a complete system designed to help you get more from your site.
Feed Flare: FeedFlare allows publishers to easily build "interactivity" into the content they create, making it simple for subscribers to tag, email or share their content with others. Publishers can include a variety of services including a live display of the number of comments to each post, the ability to email the author directly and show the number of blogs that link to their item. Publishers can choose to include FeedFlare within the feed itself as well as on their blog or site.
Take a Poll on Your Web Page: With your free account from PollDaddy you can now create surveys and polls for your website, blog and social network profiles. Find out what your visitors are thinking today. Create your surveys and polls using their custom templates or create your own. Use their in-depth reporting engine to aggregate, print and export your results.
Twitter - Stay Connected: Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

I Use Widgets For....

Take this Polldaddy Widget poll

POLLDADDY WIDGET

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Share this poll
- Stumbleupon
- Facebook
- MySpace
- Twitter
- Digg
- Delicious
- Email

Top Web Widget Viewing Audiences

Courtesy of comScore Widget Metrix

TOP 10 LIST:

MySpace.com - 31.7%
Slide.com - 21.5%
Clearspring.com - 21.5%
RockYou.com - 17.9%
Photobucket.com - 14.5%
Google.com - 10.7%
BunnyHeroLabs.com - 8.8%
MusicPlaylist.us - 8.7%
MyPlaylist.org - 8.5%
BlingyBlob.com - 8.2%

ADD AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE WEB WIDGETS FOR MYSPACE AND FACEBOOK

VOTE! VOTE! ENTER YOUR OWN FAVORITE WIDGET!

Widgets are useful applications that can be downloaded and embedded on to your MySpace or Facebook profile, web page or blog. They can be fun tools that automatically update as well as be interactive.

Squidoo, Facebook and Myspace Widgets 2.0

All About Widget 2.0

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Widget 2.0: Preface

from the Widget-Authority

This is a StickyNote WIDGET

“Thanks for voting this lens to be #1 within the SMARTS Internet Marketing Community!”

Widget 1.0: What was it?

Widget 2.0: Who cares?

What is a widget?

A simple explanation

In Search of the Meaning of Widget 2.0

My home made video for this squidoo lens

Widget 2.0 for Dummies

Just the basics

Widget 2.0 for Internet Marketing

Tools for Internet Marketers

Widget 2.0 Fear Factor

The golden egg for first movers

Fun Stuff

Widget 2.0 promotional

Widget 2.0 Design and Development

Ajax, javascript, flash and more

Widget 2.0 TOS Violations

Myspace Widget Restrictions

Widget 2.0 Geek Speak

A W3C technical description

Widget 2.0 Must Have Widgets

Some great widget sites

I Use Widgets For....

Take this Polldaddy Widget poll

Thanks for voting! Now invite your friends to vote.

Top Web Widget Viewing Audiences

Courtesy of comScore Widget Metrix

ADD AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE WEB WIDGETS FOR MYSPACE AND FACEBOOK

VOTE! VOTE! ENTER YOUR OWN FAVORITE WIDGET!

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